Striping tool



July 9, 1935. J. T. GREEN STRIPING' TOOL Filed Feb. 2v, 1929 PatentedJuly 9, 1935 PATENT oFElcE i STRIPING 'rooL John T. Green, Detroit,Mich., assgnor to General Motors Corporation', Detroit, Mich., acorporation of Delaware Application February 27, 1929, Serial No.343,226 2 claims. (olv. 29e-136)" This invention relates to a portablehand tool for applying ornamental stripes or lines on certain objectssuch as painted automobile bodies, and contemplates particularly adevice for striping Duco on Ducoed surfaces.

After automobile bodies, articles of furniture and the like are painted,it is sometimes the custom to add thin stripes of a different color forthe purpose of contrast and to enhance the dec'- -orative appearance ofthe job. For this work vhighly skilled artisans, who command highremuneration and who are difficult to control as workmen have beenemployed'to apply striping with a hand brush.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a simpleand `inexpensive Vtool which, in the hands of the'average person usingordinary care may loe-manipulated to lay down a smooth and uniform lineinless time than it takes to paint the linewith a hand brush. Obviouslythe displacement of the hand brush and skilled labor eirects a materialsaving in cost.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device in which thesupply of striping uid is placed under a constant pressure and isdischarged under manual control of the operator at a uniform rate offlow.

A further object is to provide an interchangeable part having arestricted vopening of predetermined size to definitely govern the rateof flow in accordance'with the conditions of use and the peculiarproperties of the particular type of striping fluid to be used, it beingunderstood `that the various colors and kinds of striping fluids havedifferent characteristics in regard to density, consistency andthe like.i Asan additional and important object the invention aims to provide animproved type of applyingfnozzle for contact with the work to lay down astripe and which has one or more feed wires or pins projecting throughthe bore thereof to multi-perforate the passageway or subdivide it intoa number of small spaces through which' the fluid passes to afford amore positive control of the material discharged through the nozzle, orin other words to insure equal distribution of the fluid in thepassageway and prevent the material flowing too freely or gushingout ofthe nozzle, whereby a given amount of liquid for a given width ofsurface to be covered is properly spread over the surface so as toresult in a flat smooth line. This improved type of nozzle possesses theadditional advantage of being usable on all surfaces regardless of theplane in which they lie or whether they are of ilat or curved contour.

Various other objects and advantages will be apparent from thefollowingspeciiication taken in connection with the accompanying drawingin which- Fig. 1 is a plan View of the apparatus constituting thepresent invention.y

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the stripe applyinginstrument.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section of the nozzle tip.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of an alternate type of stripingtool. Y

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective View of the feed device shownV in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse sectional 'view taken `on line 6--6 ofFig. 4.

Referring by reference characters to the accompanying drawing the paintsupply unit consists of a paint container or tank I, having a ller spout2 closed by a cap 3, and a tank 4 for air or other suitable fluid underpressure, having a filler spout 5 for detachable connection with apressure pump or other suitable source of the air under pressure The twotanks are connected with each .other through the conduit or pipe E,

pressure regulating Ydevice 'I'V having a manually .controlled `valve 8,and the conduit or pipe 9 to V'I'he striping 'fluid'dis'charged from'the tank I under a constant pressure, flows 'through the exibleconduit'ID connected at its end by a litting I2 with a barrel I3 of thestripe applying instrument. The barrel is provided intermediate its endswith aY wall lf3,A having passageways I5 and I6 connected with atransverse passageway II, in which is formed a conical seat for thevalve head I8, having the oppositely projecting stems I 9 and 22. Thestem I9 has a bearing in the plug 20 and a coil spring ZI surroundingthe stem bears at opposite ends against the plug 2@ and valve head I8 tourge the valve against its seat. The

23 and into contact with the hand lever 24 pivoted 'marking of a uniformflat line.

on the pin 26 between a pair of ears or lugs 21 formed integral with thebarrel. A set screw 28 adjustably threaded in the boss 29, integral withthe barrel, has a stem or reduced portion 30 projecting through anopening in the lever 24 to provide a stop shoulder for the lever, theend of the stem having a transverse groove to facilitate adjustment ofthe screw by engagement therewith of a suitable tool. In each end of thepassageway through the barrel and on opposite sides of the intermediatewall is positioned a perforate cylinder or roll 3i, preferably formed byrolling upon itself a sheet of fine mesh screen, which is intended tobreak up or check the velocity of the iiuid flow through the barrel. Inthe forward end of the barrel is screw-threaded a replaceable fitting33, having a restricted passageway or bore 34 of predetermined diameter.This coupling controls the amount of fiuid allowed to pass through thetool and the size of the restriction `is predetermined in accordancewith the character of striping fluid employed and the width of the lineto be laid down. By providing a number of interchangeable fittings, eachwith a different size bore, the requisites and conditions of use for anyparticular job can be met. 'I'hreaded on the end of the fitting 33 is anozzle 35 having a tip 36 of reduced diameter, and fastened in thenozzle, as by means of solder, as indicated at 31, are a series of finesteel wires 38, which project through the reduced tip portion 36 andpreferably though not necessarily to a point slightly beyond the endthereof. These wires 38 serve to divide the bore of the passageway intoa number of small spaces to equally distribute the fiuid flow throughoutthe bore of the nozzle tip and insure the The uid feeds along andbetween the wires and the frictional resistance offered to the flowserves in a measure to prevent the iiuid gushing out of the dischargenozzle and forming blotches or smears.

In order to accurately guide the nozzle along the work which, in thepresent instance, is shown as a curved molding strip 40, positioned in avertical plane, there may be provided a carrier or fixture 4I adjustablysecured on the nozzle and carrying a shaft on which are mounted guidewheels 42 for contact with the molding strip and a roller 43 for contactwith the body adjacent the molding strip. Other forms of guiding meansmay be employed depending on the character and nature of the work to bestriped.

In the alternate form illustrated in Fig. 4 a valve housing 50 projectsthrough openings in opposite sides of the barrel I and is provided witha vertical bore 52 connected by the lateral ports 53 and 54 opening intothe passageway in the barrel 5| on opposite sides of the casing 50. Avalve head 55 having a seat in the bore 52 intermediate the ports 53 and54, controls fluid flow through the barrel and is provided with a stemV56 extending to the outside of the casing through .the packing nut 51for engagement by the hand lever 58, pivoted at 59 to the lug 6l). Acoil spring 6| interposed between the valve head 55 and the plug 62tends to hold the valve on its seat and the stem 56 depending from thevalve head is adapted for contact with the set screw 61, adjustablythreaded in the plug 62 and heldin adjusted position by the lock nut 68to control the extent of valve opening. Screw threaded in the front endof the barrel 5I is a replaceable member 10 counterbored in one end, andhaving one or more restricted openings 1| of a given size through theend Wall thereof, for definitely controlling, according to apredetermined schedule, the amount or volume of fluid allowed to passthrough the barrel. A forwardly projecting feed pin 12 is carried by andhas a pressed fit in the end wall of the member and extends through thenozzle 13, adjustably screw threaded on the member 13, to a pointadjacent the end of the tip 14. The opening in the end of the tip is ofreduced diameter and the pin 12 has a close fit therein, but is providedwith a series of axial grooves which extend into the portion of the borethat is of larger diameter, and in this fashion divide the bore at thetip into a series of small passages to prevent gushing, and to evenlydistribute the striping fluid. Adjustment of the nozzle 13 relative tothe member 10 moves the pin into or out of the bore to permit theseparts to be brought to proper position for the discharge of the fluidonto the surface to be covered and after adjustment is made, the partsare held in proper position by means of the lock nut 16.

In using the apparatus, the operator carries the supply unit in one handand the barrel in the other hand, holding the nozzle iirmly against thework and drawing it along the surface to be covered, at the same timedepressing with his finger, the valve lever to open the valve and permitdischarge of the striping fluid.

I claim:

l. A nozzle tip for ornamental stripe applying tools adapted for contactwith a working surface and provided with a bore therethrough for thepassage of striping fluid, and a pin tting the f tending axially throughthe bore to a point adjacent its end and closely fitting in the reducedportion of the bore and having peripheral grooves therein extendingaxially from its end within the reduced portion of the bore into theportion ofthe bore of larger diameter to provide a series of fiuidpassages in the work contacting tip of the nozzle.

JOHN T. GREEN.

